US President Donald Trump criticized the Supreme Court for blocking a regulation he pushed to restrict mail-in voting ahead of November's midterm elections. The rule would have required voter-specific data and use of USPS-approved envelopes with barcodes. In response to the court’s brief unsigned decision rejecting this plan, Trump accused the justices of being "bullied" by the left on social media. Attorney-General Todd Blanche stated that the administration will comply with the ruling despite Trump's criticism.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A second federal judge in Washington, Carl Nichols, blocked the Trump administration's new US Postal Service rule that would have tightened mail-in voting requirements, just days before November 3 midterms. The rule, which required unique barcodes and design compliance for ballot envelopes and mandated states to upload voter information into a federal online portal, was deemed unlawful by Judge Nichols. This follows a similar ruling from another judge, leaving the Trump administration relying on the Supreme Court to overturn these decisions. However, in a decisive move on Monday, the Supreme Court denied an emergency appeal from Trump's lawyers, upholding existing mail-in voting processes. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, but the majority opinion emphasized the impracticality of implementing such changes so close to election day. This decision ensures states can continue using their current systems for distributing ballots without facing new regulations that could disenfranchise voters.
Written for “Supreme Court Rejects Trump Mail Voti…” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 36 other(s) covering the same event.
In short:
US President Donald Trump has criticised the Supreme Court for blocking his plan to restrict mail-in election ballots.
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Trump → criticise → ballots
The regulation would have required states to provide voter-specific data and use agency-approved mail-ballot envelopes that would be tracked using barcodes.
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that → require → barcodes
Attorney-General Todd Blanche says the administration is going to comply with the decision.
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administration → say → decision
US President Donald Trump has criticised the Supreme Court after it rejected his push to restrict mail-in voting in the November midterm elections.
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it → criticise → elections
"This Supreme Court is bullied and cajoled by the Radical Left into making decisions that have set America back at least a hundred years," Mr Trump wrote on social media.
"
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Trump → bully → media
These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves," Trump continued on Truth Social, without naming any of the justices.
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Trump → interview → justices
"It is a Court that will go down as having rendered some of the most destructive, hurtful, and damaging decisions in our Country's history.
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that → go → history
"
Mr Trump appointed three justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — during his first term as president, building a 6-3 conservative majority and allowing the court to steer a dramatic rightward course since 2020.
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court → appoint → 2020
On Monday, the court's decision preventing implementation of the rule, which the United States Postal Service (USPS) adopted at the president's direction, was brief and unsigned, as is typical when it handles emergency requests.
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it → prevent → requests
Mr Trump called it a "horrible, highly political, ruling".
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Trump → call → it
Only conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented.
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Alito → dissent → ?
Mr Trump referred to them as "legends, both".
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Trump → refer → legends
US Attorney-General Todd Blanche told reporters later that the Trump administration would comply with the court's decision.
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administration → tell → decision
The ballots rule
The USPS regulation would have required states to provide voter-specific data and use agency-approved mail ballot envelopes that would be tracked using barcodes.
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that → require → barcodes
The USPS could then refuse to send out ballots that do not comply with the new standards or were associated with voters who did not appear on the lists.
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who → refuse → lists
Critics warned that the measure could disrupt the delivery of thousands of legitimate ballots as the November 3 vote approached and caused chaos, given imminent plans by many states to send out mail ballots to eligible voters.
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vote → warn → voters
The administration said the new rule would prevent voter fraud, though evidence of such fraud is rare.
Mr Trump's fellow Republicans are locked in a tight battle to retain control of Congress in the midterms.
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Republicans → say → midterms
Restricting mail-in ballots would stand to benefit Republicans given that Democratic voters disproportionately use mail-in ballots, according to various surveys.
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voters → restrict → surveys
Mr Trump signed his executive order targeting mail-in ballots in March after years of casting doubt on their security, though he often votes by mail himself.
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he → sign → mail
Mr Trump has made false claims about widespread fraud in US elections, including his 2020 loss to former Democratic president Joe Biden.
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Trump → make → Biden
"It is a big loss for Republicans, and America itself," Mr Trump wrote of the mail ballot ruling.
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Trump → write → ruling
The Supreme Court has delivered several election-related rulings in recent months that have benefited Republicans, although last Thursday it blocked Missouri from using a redrawn congressional map favouring Republicans.
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it → deliver → Republicans
That was a setback to Mr Trump and his party's chances of maintaining its slim majority in the US House of Representatives in November's elections.
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That → maintain → elections
The Aporia
